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Types of Hearing Aids: Finding Your Perfect Fit
With so many types and styles of hearing aids to choose from, it can be difficult to find the one that will fit your hearing loss and your lifestyle. However, whether your hearing loss is mild or severe, rest assured there is a solution. From the barely visible completely-in-the-canal to the larger behind-the-ear, read the A to Z on types and styles of hearing aids to find your perfect fit.
Types of Hearing Aids:
There are two main types of hearing aids: open-fit and occluding.
Open-fit hearing aids keep the ear canal open and allow low-frequency sounds to enter the ear naturally while amplifying only high-frequency sounds through the hearing aid. This type works best for people with mild to moderately severe high frequency hearing loss. Open-fit hearing aids don't plug the entire ear, therefore making a person's own speech sound much more natural.
The other type is occluding hearing aids, which either have custom ear molds or the hearing aid itself is custom molded. Occluding hearing aids plug the entire ear canal and work best for people with moderately severe to severe hearing loss at most, or all frequencies.
Styles of Hearing Aids:
Behind-the-Ear (BTE) – both open-fit and occluding categories.
BTE components are contained inside a plastic case that sits behind the ear and is connected to either a tube and tip (open-fit) or an ear hook and ear mold (occluding). BTEs are appropriate for all types of hearing loss. While in the past, these have been the largest and most visible type of hearing aid, recent advances have created smaller and even barely visible designs. The design also helps prevent wind noise better than some other styles. BTEs are the most popular hearing aids on the market today because they are robust, easy to handle and allow a lot of flexibility in the fitting.
Completely in the canal (CIC) or mini CIC - occluding.
Contained in a tiny case that fits completely inside the ear canal, CICs improve mild to moderate hearing loss in adults, and are the smallest and least visible hearing aid style available. Their small size limits the features, so keep in mind that they will not have telecoils or volume controls. Additionally, they have smaller batteries, which tend to have a shorter lifespan. Because CICs are completely in the ear, they are more susceptible to damage from ear wax. CICs pick up very little wind noise.
In-the-Canal (ITC) – open fit or occluding, depending on the specific hearing aid.
These hearing aids may or may not be custom molded to a person's ear and can improve mild to moderate hearing loss. Those that are custom-molded might make more sense for adults, as children will quickly grow out of them. They fit partially inside the ear canal, so are slightly visible. These models are more susceptible to earwax damage than BTEs and typically have a small battery like CIC styles. Wind noise is reduced because the microphone is recessed in the ear canal.
In-the-Ear (ITE) – occluding
Made for all levels of hearing loss, from mild to severe, ITEs come in two models that are slightly more visible than the ITC or CIC: those that fill the entire bowl-shaped area of the outer ear (full shell) and those that fill only the lower half (half shell). ITEs are larger than canal aids and, for some people, may be easier to handle. Because of their larger size, they're able to hold larger batteries, which have a longer lifespan than smaller batteries. While they may pick up slight wind noise, they also contain additional features that the CIC and ITCs do not, such as volume control and directional microphones. Less than 20% of the hearing aids purchased in the U.S. are this type, due to improvements in BTE aids.
Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) – open-fit
Similar to BTEs, RICs have a plastic case that sits behind the ear, but the case connects to a receiver, which is placed in the ear canal. Because the receiver portion is located in the ear canal, RIC hearing aids can be smaller than BTE styles, but are also susceptible to wax damage. If wax clogs the speaker, it usually must be replaced, which can be costly and cannot be done by the user, as special tools are needed. In contrast, a BTE with a tube can easily be taken off of the aid, and cleaned with a simple tool.
From mild to severe hearing loss, there's a hearing aid type and style for every person. Take a look at hi HealthInnovations selection of hearing aids. For more information, click here.